Between Time
by Xtremeroswellian
Summary: A serious accident forces Faith and Bosco to re-evaluate their lives as well as their relationship with each other. **Part 5 up as of 7/29/03!
1. Default Chapter

Title: Between Time (1 /?)

Author: X_tremeroswellian

Email: X_tremeroswellian@yahoo.com

Disclaimer: They don't belong to me, but I wish they did.

Rating: PG-13 for language, violence and sexual content

Spoilers: Up through and including "233 Days"

Summary: A serious accident forces Faith and Bosco to re-evaluate their lives as well as their relationship with each other.

Distribution: My site, Only Time, http://www.geocities.com/angel_roswell/onlytime.html

Category: Story

Subcategories: drama/angst/romance/friendship

Feedback: Have you hugged your author today? *grin*

Author's Note: I'm aware there's a similar story being written about this idea, but I've already talked to the author of that story and she encouraged me to go ahead and write mine. I'm pretty sure we're going in different directions with the fics anyway. Any similarities are only coincidental of great minds thinking alike, not of plagarism. 

Dedication: For Bree, Dem and CCA, who all encouraged me to write this months ago. 

Special thanks to CCA, who gave me the idea for the beginning part of this story. :) 

* * *

Between Time (Part One)

"Why are you making such a big deal about this?" Faith Yokas asked her husband as she looked at him with inquiring blue eyes.

Fred turned his head and shot a glare at her before he focused his eyes on the road again, his hands clenching tightly around the steering wheel. "Because, dammit, it's a family dinner!" 

"Bosco is family, Fred." 

"No, he's not!" he argued angrily, shaking his head. "And I'm sick of him interfering in our lives all the time." 

She rolled her eyes, counted to ten in her mind to keep from saying something she'd regret later. "Look, Bosco is my friend, and he doesn't have anywhere else to go for Thanksgiving." 

"That's his problem." 

"Fred--" 

"No, Faith!" He slammed his fist against the wheel, causing her to jump. "It's not my problem, or yours for that matter! I don't care if Maurice Boscorelli is a god-damn stray, I don't want him at my house for Thanksgiving!" 

Her eyes narrowed. "Your house? Since when did you become the dictator for our family?" 

"At least I'm *there* for our family. You sure as hell aren't," Fred snapped. 

"That's not fair, Fred," Faith said quietly, hurt.

"So? Is it fair to Emily that you miss all of her gymnastic meets and school plays? Is it fair to Charlie that you never go to any of his soccer practices like the other moms? Or to me that you care more about what your partner needs than what I want?" 

She looked away, tears stinging her eyes at the harshness of his words. 

"That's right, Faith. Life's not fair. And unlike you, my life doesn't revolve around Bosco!" 

"No, it revolves around yourself," she muttered under her breath.

"Excuse me?" 

"What are you, jealous?" Faith asked, shoving aside her hurt as anger took its place. 

"Jealous of Bosco?" Fred snorted. "Yeah, I'm jealous of a loud-mouthed, good for nothing, know-it-all smart ass that everyone hates." 

"You don't know the first thing about Bosco," she said angrily.

"Oh, that's right. I forgot to add pathetic loser to that list of adjectives, didn't I?" 

Faith glared at him. "You want to know what's pathetic, Fred? The fact that you're so threatened by a guy you seem to think is beneath your self-assumed God-like persona." 

He turned his head to glare at her. "What the fuck is that supposed to mean?" 

"I'm saying that Bosco isn't the problem here. You are!" 

"Yeah? Well, you know something, Faith? I think it's you who's the problem. All you care about is your god-damned job. You couldn't care less about me or the kids!" 

"That's not true and you know it." 

"The problem is that you can't face the fact that you're a lousy wife and a terrible mother! You're worthless, Faith! You hear me? Worthless!" 

They stared at each other for a long moment.

Faith finally broke the gaze, tears in her eyes. She glanced out the windshield, her eyes widening in horror as a pedestrian crossed the street right in front of their car. "Fred!" she screamed.

He jerked his attention back to the road, cursing loudly as he swerved to the right without looking to see if the lane was clear. 

The screeching of metal against metal reverberated in her eardrums, mixing with the sound of breaking glass as the car to their right rammed them, spinning the truck sideways in the lane. She heard screaming in the distance as sudden, sharp pain shot up her arm. 

She was thrown forward in her seat as another vehicle rammed them on the back of the passenger side. The last thing she felt was an intense pain in her head as she cracked it against the windshield. Then everything grew dark.

* * *

"You guys seen Faith?" Bosco asked as Sully and Davis walked into the locker room that afternoon.

"Wasn't my turn to watch her," Sully said dryly as he spun the combination on his locker.

Davis grinned.

"That's funny. You should quit your job and become a stand-up," Bosco retorted, closing his locker.

Davis glanced at him. "Maybe she took the day off."

"Yeah. Maybe," he echoed. "See you in roll call." Without another word, he turned and left the room.

Davis looked at his partner. "Sul, you okay?" 

"Yep," he responded shortly.

"You sure?" 

"Davis, I'm fine!" Sully snapped, not looking at him.

He was taken aback by the anger in his friend's tone. "All right. But if you want to talk about it..." 

"You'll be the first to know." 

Davis frowned slightly. "Okay." 

* * *

Bosco sat in the roll call room, slouched down in his chair, his arms folded across his chest as he listened to Swersky give them the run down on the various suspects they were supposed to keep an eye out for. 

"Boscorelli, you heard from Yokas today?" 

He blinked a few times and glanced around the room, realizing that his partner still hadn't shown up. He looked at the lieutenant. "She hasn't called in?" 

Swersky frowned. "No. So unless she shows up, you're riding by yourself today." 

Bosco nodded, a slight feeling of unease edging its way into her stomach. He did his best to ignore it. She was probably just stuck in traffic or something. No big deal. 

Lt. Swersky dismissed them a few minutes later. "Eyes and ears open out there." 

The officers all stood up. 

Davis looked at him. "That's kinda weird, isn't it?" 

"What is?" Bosco asked as the younger officer followed him to the desk to get their radios.

"It's not like Yokas not to call in." 

He shrugged, trying not to let that uneasy feeling surface again. "I'm sure she's fine." 

"Right." 

Bosco looked at him. "You don't think she's fine?" he asked tensely.

Davis frowned. "That's not what I said." 

"She's just stuck in traffic or something. Nothing's wrong with her, Davis." 

The younger officer held up his hands. "Whoa, Bosco. I didn't mean to imply that anything was wrong with Yokas. I'm sure she's fine." 

"Of course she is. Why wouldn't she be?" Bosco asked before turning and walking away with his radio.

Davis stared after him, shaking his head. "What the hell is wrong with everyone today?" he wondered aloud.

* * *

"What a way to start the day," Carlos muttered as he climbed out of Adam 55-3 carrying one of the medical packs.

Doc glanced around the scene, then quickly pressed the button on his radio. "Adam 55-3 to Central. We're gonna need another bus and some officers at this location." 

"10-4, Adam 55-3."

He glanced sideways at his partner and headed toward the closest vehicle--a white van--while Carlos moved toward the red cougar.

Doc tapped on the driver's side window. "Sir, are you hurt?" 

The man grimaced and turned his head to look at him. "No, but I'm sure as hell late for work now." 

"You didn't hit your head or anything?" 

"Nope." 

"Is there anyone in there with you?" 

"No, it's just me." 

He nodded. "All right, I'll be back." He started away from the van when he heard Carlos shout. "Carlos!" 

"The car engine's on fire!" he yelled, backing away from the vehicle. 

"Radio for FDNY! I'll get the fire extinguisher!" He ran for the bus and grabbed the device from the back, glancing up just as Boyd 55-3 pulled up. 

"Doc, where do you need us?" Alex shouted, climbing out of the driver's side. 

"Check the people in the green car and in that truck!" He hurried over to the car that was still on fire and quickly extinguished the flames. 

"I'll check the truck, you get the car," Alex said to Kim, who nodded and hurried away. She jogged over to the driver's side and peered in the window. A man sat there, looking slightly dazed as he gripped tightly onto the steering wheel. "Sir?" 

He looked at her, but he didn't appear to have any physical injuries that she could see. 

"Don't move, okay?" She glanced past him to the passenger seat and saw a woman slumped foward onto the dashboard, blood trickling down her arm. The woman wasn't moving. 

Alex quickly rounded the truck and squeezed through the tiny space between it and the red car next to it, where Doc and Carlos were treating the passengers. 

She reached forward and grabbed the door handle, but the door wouldn't budge. "Dammit," she muttered. She reached up carefully through the partially shattered window and unlocked the door. She tried to pull it open again, but it was still stuck. "Sir, can you open your door?" she asked loudly to the driver. 

The man granted and pushed on the door, but it wouldn't open either. 

Alex straightened up. "Where the hell's fire?" 

"On their way," Doc shouted back.

She glanced around, then carefully reached inside the truck again. She very gently brushed back some of the woman's strawberry blond hair and pressed her fingers against the woman's throat, searching for a pulse. It was there, but it was weak.

"Hold on, help's on the way," Alex murmured, her gaze dropping to the woman's pale face. Her eyes widened. "Oh, my God. Doc! Doc! It's Yokas!" 

"What?" He jerked his head up from where he was taking the vitals of the driver of the red cougar. 

"It's Faith Yokas! She's trapped in the truck unconscious! It looks pretty bad!" Alex quickly shrugged out of her jacket and wrapped it around her hands. She carefully wedged her hands inside the window and shoved against the glass from the inside out, shattering the rest of it. 

"Come on, just hold on," she whispered, grimacing at the huge bruise on the officer's forehead. She'd hit the windshield pretty hard, and blood was trickling down her face. 

Just then the wail of sirens pierced the air as FDNY pulled up. "Guys! Over here! Hurry!" she shouted, waving her arms.

"What've we got?" Jimmy asked as he jogged over. 

"Faith Yokas. She's hurt pretty badly. Both doors are stuck!" 

"I'll get the jaws," he said instantly.

"Jimmy, hurry," Alex urged.

* * *

"Great. Just my day," Bosco muttered in disgust as he and 55-Charlie arrived on the scene of a multiple MVA. "I get to direct traffic." He shut the car off and crawled out of the seat with a sigh.

"Damn," he heard Sully say as he surveyed the scene. 

He glanced around, grimacing himself at the sight. Four vehicles--two cars, one van and a truck-- which he could only see part of because it was turned sideways and the back of the passenger side was blocked by the van, the front of the passenger side blocked by the red car, both apparently having rammed the truck. 

The fire department was using the jaws to pry open the passenger side door. 

"I feel sorry for whoever was in that truck," Davis said, gazing at all the broken glass and the huge dent in the side of it.

"Jag-off's probably the one who caused the whole accident in the first place," Bosco replied, shaking his head. 

Sully gave him a dirty look and headed off to direct traffic. 

"What?" he demanded, staring after him. When he got no response, he folded his arms across his chest and watched as the firefighters removed the truck door. Or what was left of it. He saw Doc and Taylor and Carlos working to extract the passenger. 

Kim approached him, her face grim and pale. She stopped and stood in front of him, blocking his view. 

He shifted, feeling self-conscious. "What? Why are you staring at me like that?" 

She opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. 

He raised his eyebrows, annoyed. "What's your problem?" 

Before she had a chance to respond this time, he heard voices from behind her. 

"I told you I'm fine, I'm not hurt," a familiar male voice snapped. 

"We need to make sure, Sir. Sometimes injuries can occur and you don't even know about them til later. Especially not if you blacked out," Carlos said, his voice calm.

"I didn't black out!" 

Bosco frowned deeply and peered around Kim. "Fred?" 

His partner's husband looked over at him. 

"Bosco..." Kim said softly.

His gaze drifted back to her face. Her eyes were full of tears. He stared at her for a moment, then looked past her to where Doc and Taylor were carrying a woman on a stretcher as Jimmy and some of the other firefighters watched solemnly. He suddenly felt his blood run cold, dread rising up within him. "No," he whispered. 

"What's going on?" Davis asked as he walked over. 

Wordlessly, Bosco stepped around Kim, walking slowly toward the medics, the breath catching in his throat. 

"Bosco, don't," Kim pleaded, grabbing his arm tightly. "Stay back and let them work." 

"I have to see her..." he said numbly, but found himself unable to move forward. 

"It's better if you stay here," she urged gently.

"What's going on?" Davis asked again, frowning in confusion.

Bosco turned and stared at Kim, his heart pounding. "Is she--"

"No," she answered immediately. "But it's pretty bad." 

He felt like someone had knocked all the wind out of him and for a second, he was certain he was going to be sick. Then he felt a cold numbness settle over him as he watched them load his partner into the back of the bus. 

"Jimmy, we need you to drive!" he heard Doc shout. 

"Kim?" Davis said.

She looked at him briefly. "It's Yokas. She's hurt." 

He stared at her in disbelief. "What?" 

Kim didn't reply as she turned her gaze back to Bosco. 

"Faith," he whispered. Tears stung his eyes as he watched the bus drive off with the lights flashing, the wail from the sirens echoing in his head. 


	2. 2

Title: Between Time (2 /?)

Author: X_tremeroswellian

Email: X_tremeroswellian@yahoo.com

Disclaimer: They don't belong to me, but I wish they did.

Rating: PG-13 for language, violence and sexual content

Spoilers: Up through and including "233 Days"

Summary: A serious accident forces Faith and Bosco to re-evaluate their lives as well as their relationship with each other.

Distribution: My site, Only Time, http://www.geocities.com/angel_roswell/onlytime.html

Category: Story

Subcategories: drama/angst/romance/friendship

Feedback: Have you hugged your author today? *grin*

Author's Note: I'm aware there's a similar story being written about this idea, but I've already talked to the author of that story and she encouraged me to go ahead and write mine. I'm pretty sure we're going in different directions with the fics anyway. Any similarities are only coincidental of great minds thinking alike, not of plagarism. 

Dedication: For Bree, Dem and CCA, who all encouraged me to write this months ago. 

Special thanks to CCA, who gave me the idea for the beginning part of this story. :) 

* * *

Between Time (Part Two)

Bosco sat in a chair in the waiting room of Angel of Mercy, his arms resting on his knees as he stared at the tile floor. 

"How's she doing?" 

He blinked a couple times, then looked up to see Sully and Davis standing there. He lowered his gaze to the floor again. "I don't know. The doctors haven't come out to talk to us." 

Sully glanced across the room to where Fred Yokas sat watching television, a blank expression on his face. He nodded to a few officers he recognized from te 55th who had come to wait for news on Faith's condition. 

"Her husband's okay?" Daivs asked, his voice low. 

"A couple of bruises," Bosco answered, unable to keep a hint of bitterness out of hs voice. "He was driving and both the vehicles that collided with the truck hit on the passenger side." He tried not to wish that it had been Fred in the passenger seat instead of Faith, but he couldn't help it. 

"Central to 55-Charlie. Possible 10-52 at the corner of Oak and Main." 

"10-4, Central," Davis said into his radio. "Sul, we gotta go." 

"Right." Sully looked at Bosco, wanted to offer him some words of hope, but wasn't sure what to say. "We'll be back later." 

"Yeah. See ya," Bosco responded, not looking up. He heard his colleage's retreating footsteps and he leaned back in his chair with a sigh. He let his eyes drift shut. 

Almost instantly he saw her face in his mind. 

He opened his eyes again, his gaze landing on Fred. How the hell could the man just sit there and watch television while his wife might be in the next room--

Bosco didn't allow himself to even finish *that* thought. 

Faith was strong. She was going to be fine. 

She had to be. 

Because he wasn't sure he could survive without her. 

* * *

"What the hell is taking so long?" Bosco muttered as he rose to his feet and headed for the nurse's desk. He caught sight of Mary Proctor walking toward the vending machines. "Proctor!" 

She turned and looked at him.

Bosco hurried and caught up with her. "Is there any news yet?" 

She hesitated, then shook her head. "Sorry, Bosco." 

"You don't know anything?" he asked doubtfully.

"I wish I could help you out." 

"Mary, please. It's Faith. I need to know."

She sighed and closed her eyes for a moment. Then she looked at him again. "I don't know anything for sure, but...it doesn't look good," she said, her voice soft. 

He stared at her, feeling his body go numb again. 

"I'm really sorry, Bosco." She gave him a sympathetic look, then walked away, leaving him to stare after her. 

* * *

"Mr. Yokas?" 

Bosco jerked his head up at the sound of the doctor's voice. His eyes shot across the room to where Fred sat calmly in one of the chairs. He rose to his feet at the same time the other man and walked over to where Dr. Thomas stood holding a clipboard in one hand. 

"That's me," Fred said, his voice rough. 

"Mr. Yokas, I'm Dr. Thomas." They shook hands and the doctor nodded at Bosco. 

"How is she? Is she okay?" Fred questioned. 

"I'm afraid your wife has suffered some very serious injuries, Mr. Yokas. She's in stable but very critical condition." 

"What injuries?" Bosco heard himself ask. 

"Some cracked ribs, a broken arm, lots of cuts and bruises. We've put a cast on her arm and stitched up some gashes on her shoulder and forehead. But it's the head injury that we're the most concerned with." 

"How bad?" Fred asked. If he was upset, he was hiding it very well. The expression on his face was blank. 

"Your wife has a skull fracture and a very serious concussion and there's a great deal of swelling in her brain." 

"But she's gonna be okay, right?" Bosco asked anxiously, searching the doctor's face. 

Dr. Thomas hesitated. "The truth is, there's a strong possiblity that she's not going to recover from this." 

He felt his heart sink.

"When you say may not recover--" Fred began.

"She may never regain consciousness, Mr. Yokas." The doctor's voice was quiet, sad. "I think that you need to prepare yourself for the worst." He looked from Fred to Bosco, to all the officers gathered around behind them. "I'm very sorry." 

"No, no, I don't believe this. There's still a chance she could come out of this and be okay, right?" Bosco stared at him, waited for his response. 

"There's always a chance, Officer. But in Mrs. Yokas' case...it's a very small one," Dr. Thomas said quietly. "I'll let you know if there's any change." 

"Can I see her?" Fred asked. 

"Yes, of course. But only one visitor at a time, and for short visits only. I'll show you to her room." 

Bosco watched as Fred followed Dr. Thomas down the hallway and disappeared into a room. Then he turned away slowly. 

"Boscorelli, you okay?" one of the officers asked. 

He looked at the man, but didn't make an attempt at remembering his name. "Yeah. I'm just peachy," he answered dully. Then he walked toward the exit. He needed some fresh air. 

Now if he could just remember how to breathe.

* * *

"Doc, is there any news on Yokas?" Alex asked as she and Kim walked over to where he stood at the nurse's station filling out paperwork from his and Carlos' latest run. 

He looked up, his gaze traveling from her face to Kim's. "Yeah. It's...it's not good news." 

"Well, is she gonna be okay?" Alex asked, worried. 

"They don't know. She has a skull fracture, concussion, swelling of the brain..." He shook his head sadly. "The doctors, they're...uh...they're not expecting her to recover." 

They both stared at him.

"Poor Faith," Alex whispered, shaking her head. 

"Where's Bosco?" Kim lifted her gaze to look at Doc, her voice barely audible. 

Doc turned and nodded toward the officer who was sitting by himself in a corner of the waiting room looking lost. 

"I'm gonna go talk to him," she said quietly. She didn't wait for a response. She drew in a deep breath and walked over slowly toward Bosco, whose eyes were closed, his head leaning back against the wall. "Bosco." 

He opened his eyes and looked at her. "Has something changed?" he asked immediately, a mixture of hope and fear in his tone. 

She swallowed hard. "No, I just heard. I wanted to see how you were doing." Kim sat down in the chair next to him. 

"I'm not the one with a skull fracture," he replied flatly.

She glanced around the waiting room. She recognized at least a half dozen off-duty officers in the room, but realized there were at least fifteen people standing around all together and she figured she just didn't know the others. "She has a lot of friends," she murmured. 

"Family," Bosco answered absently. 

Kim turned her head to look at him. "Right," she said. Her mind flashed back to the night that Bobby had been shot. Paramedics and firefighters from the 55th had been in and out of the hospital right up until the doctor announced that he had died. They'd all been one big family. Everyone had grieved for his loss. The same way everyone here would grieve if Faith didn't make it. 

She blinked back tears at the memories and at the thought of losing another friend. She and Faith had never been very close, but she'd always liked the woman. Truth be told, she couldn't think of a single person who didn't like Faith. Even Carlos Nieto had nothing but nice things to say about her. 

Kim reached over and squeezed Bosco's hand briefly. "Don't give up on her." 

Bosco blinked, then looked at her. He remained silent. 

She released his hand and stood up. "Take care of yourself, Bosco," she said softly. Then she turned and walked away, praying silently. 

* * *

It felt like he'd been sitting in the waiting room for an eternity, but according to the clock, it had only been about five hours. 

Bosco's gaze traveled to where Fred Yokas stood a few feet away, looking over at him. His heart quickening in his chest, he slowly rose to his feet and walked over to him, wondering if there'd been some change in her condition. 

"I'm going to go pick up the kids from their babysitter." 

"I can do that if you want," he offered quietly. He may not have liked Fred very well, but Faith needed her husband there. 

The man looked at him as though he'd grown a second head. "No, I'm going to pick them up from the babysitter and take them *home*." 

Bosco stared at him. "You're not coming back?" 

"My kids need me." 

"Faith needs you!" 

"They need me more." 

"Why don't you just bring them here?" 

"Because it would upset them to see her hooked up to all those damned machines!" 

"She needs her family right now," he pointed out. 

"You heard the doctor. He said to be prepared for the worst! She's probably not going to wake up!" 

Bosco shook his head in disbelief. "So what, you're just gonna give up? It's only been a few hours!" 

"I can't be here right now." Fred turned and started to walk away. Then he paused and turned around. "If anything changes, please call me." 

Bosco stared after him and watched as he left the hospital. "Son of a bitch," he muttered. 

* * *

Bosco hovered in the doorway to his partner's room, his stomach in knots. She looked so...lifeless. He swallowed hard, his gaze traveling from the white cast on her arm to the I.V. wires on her other arm to the tube that ran down her throat and connected her to the ventilator to keep her breathing. His gaze flickered over to the heart monitor that was beeping steadily, the only real form of assurance he had at the moment that she was truly still alive. 

After a very long hesitation, he finally managed to will himself into the room and he walked over to the chair by her bed. He sat down, then scooted closer. He reached out and gently touched her cheek with his fingers. He winced when he saw the line of stitches on her forehead on top of some very dark purple bruises. 

"Faith," he whispered. He pulled his hand away from her face, afraid that somehow he'd injure her further. He reached down and covered her hand with his. Then he took a deep breath. "I uh...I don't know if you can hear me, but...the doctors out there are saying that they don't think you're gonna come out of this." Bosco swallowed hard. "But they don't know you, not like I do. I know you're gonna wake up. I know you are, Faith. Because you're not a quitter." 

He paused, looked down at the floor for a moment, then lifted his gaze to her face again. "Besides that, too many people are depending on you to be okay. Em and Charlie...they need you. They need their mother. And Fred. And everyone at the 55th. Half the precinct's out in the waiting room right now just waiting to see if you're okay." He swallowed hard again. "And me," he said, his voice dropping to a whisper. "I need you, too, Faith. Who's gonna keep me in line and out of trouble if you're not there to do it? You're the only one who can put up with me." Involuntary tears sprang to his eyes. "But it's more than that and we both know it. You uh...you're my best friend, Faith. And before I met you, I never had a best friend, so, see? You have to wake up, okay? I need you to. Please. Please wake up. Don't leave me," Bosco whispered, a tear rolling down his cheek. 

He reached up with his free hand to wipe it away, his right hand still holding onto hers. After a long moment of silence, he leaned his forehead on the matress of her hospital bed, closed his eyes and began to do something he hadn't done since he was a kid: pray. 

Okay, God, he thought nervously. I know I don't do this very often, but if you just let her be okay...if you just let her wake up and be all right, I swear I'll try to be a better person. I'll be nicer to people, I'll stop being so self-centered, I won't take her for granted anymore, ever. I'll never ask for anything ever again if you just make some miracle happen and let her stay here. Don't take her, please. 

After nearly two hours of bargaining in his mind to God, Bosco fell asleep. 

* * *

Bosco opened his eyes with a start, not sure what had awakened him from his restless, dreamless sleep. He winced at the pain that shot up his neck when he moved. He wasn't sure how he'd managed to fall asleep in the first place. He blinked a few times and realized that a faint light was pouring into the room. He squinted and glanced over at the windows. Even with the curtains closed, he knew the light wasn't coming from there. 

Frowning, he turned and realized it was just light from the hospital corridor filtering in beneath the door. Surely that wasn't what had woken him up. But glancing around, he saw no other explanation and he laid his forehead back down on his partner's bed. 

That's when he felt it. 

A very, very faint pressure on his hand. 

He instantly jerked his head up, his gaze locking on her face. She was still, her eyes closed. Involuntary muscle spasm, he thought, his heart sinking. 

Then he heard an extra beep on the heart monitor, interrupting the slow, stead beeping sounds it had been consistently making for the past several hours. Then another extra beat. And another. 

The pressure on his hand came again and he looked at her face once more. "Faith," he whispered hopefully, rising to his feet. He watched as her eyelids began to flutter. "Oh, my God...Faith? Faith, can you hear me?" He felt her fingers curl around his hand weakly as her eyes opened. 

Bosco's heart leapt into his throat and he couldn't help the smile that spread across his face. Her blue eyes were the most beautiful sight he'd ever seen. "Thank God you're awake," he told her, relief threatening to overwhelm him.

Her eyes locked on his and there was no mistaking the confusion and fear there. 

"Faith, what's wrong? Are you okay?" He nearly smacked himself in the forehead as he realized she couldn't respond to his questions. She had a damned tube down her throat. No wonder she looked like she was on the verge of panicking. "Okay, I'll be right back with a doctor. Just...keep your eyes open, okay?" 

Without another word, he removed his hand from hers and rushed to the door. He yanked it open and ran into the hallway. "Hey! Hey! I need a doctor in here! Hurry!" he shouted, not caring if he disturbed the other patients. 

Proctor looked up and saw him and quickly sent out a page for Dr. Thomas. 

Bosco hurried back into Faith's hospital room and returned to her side. He picked up her hand again. "It's gonna be okay. Dr. Thomas is on the way," he told her. "You're gonna be all right." 

At that moment, the doctor walked into the room with Proctor and some other nurse Bosco didn't recognize. "What's going--" Dr. Thomas began, flipping on the light. His eyes widened and he stared at Faith. "You're awake." 

Bosco grinned broadly, resisting the urge to say, I told you so. 

Proctor studied the hart monitor. "Heart rate's normal," she announced, smiling. 

He turned his gaze back to Faith's face. He was startled to see the look of near panic still in her eyes as she gripped his hand. "It's okay, Faith. You were in a car accident and you hit your head, but you're okay now," he said gently, trying to reassure her as he squeezed her hand lightly. 

"Mrs. Yokas, I'm going to remove this tube from your throat now," Dr. Thomas told her. "We had to intubate to help you breathe for awhile, but we'll see how you do without it for now." He told her to exhale as deeply as she could on the count of three to help him remove the tube. 

She coughed a few times, gagging as Dr. Thomas took the tube out of her throat. Her eyes shut and a few tears leaked out from underneath her eyelids at the pain that coursed through her from the coughing. 

Bosco winced, remembering how badly it hurt to cought with cracked ribs. He tried to distract her. "Fred's okay. He went home to take care of the kids, but I'll call him and I'm sure he'll come back up right away." And if he doesn't, I'll track him down and shoot him myself, he thought viciously. 

She opened her eyes again, still in pain, though it had lessened a bit. Her gaze focused on him and she looked at him with confusion. "Who are you?" she whispered, her voice just barely audible. 

The smile faded from Bosco's face and he stared at her for a moment. Then he shifted his gaze to Dr. Thomas, who wore a worried expression. 

He felt his heart sink. 

Uh-oh.


	3. 3

Title: Between Time (3 /?)

Author: X_tremeroswellian

Email: X_tremeroswellian@yahoo.com

Disclaimer: They don't belong to me, but I wish they did.

Rating: PG-13 for language, violence and sexual content

Spoilers: Up through and including "233 Days"

Summary: A serious accident forces Faith and Bosco to re-evaluate their lives as well as their relationship with each other.

Distribution: My site, Only Time, http://www.geocities.com/angel_roswell/onlytime.html

Category: Story

Subcategories: drama/angst/romance/friendship

Feedback: Have you hugged your author today? *grin*

Author's Note: I'm aware there's a similar story being written about this idea, but I've already talked to the author of that story and she encouraged me to go ahead and write mine. I'm pretty sure we're going in different directions with the fics anyway. Any similarities are only coincidental of great minds thinking alike, not of plagarism. 

Dedication: For Bree, Dem and CCA, who all encouraged me to write this months ago. 

Special thanks to CCA, who gave me the idea for the beginning part of this story. :) 

* * *

Between Time (Part Three) 

"Amnesia," Bosco repeated, staring at Dr. Thomas as they stood in the hallway outside of Faith's room. 

"I'm going to run some additional tests in the morning, but that appears to be what we're dealing with, yes." 

"So what do we do?" 

"Sit and wait. There's really nothing we can do at this point," Dr. Thomas said. "It might only be a temporary condition." 

"Wait, *might* be? Are you saying it could be permenant?" he asked in disbelief. 

"You have to understand that your friend has suffered very severe head trauma. Cases like this are unpredictable. She could remember everything by tomorrow, or she may not remember anything at all ever. We just don't know." 

Bosco leaned against the wall heavily, still shocked and not sure what to say or even what to think. 

Dr. Thomas gazed at him. "It's a miracle that she survived that crash at all and that she's awake." 

He met the man's eyes and nodded slowly. "You're right. I'm just..." He shook his head, unable to finish the sentence. 

"Shocked," the other man supplied. 

"Yeah," Bosco said, his voice low. He took in a slow, deep breath. "So what can I do for her? I mean, what do you advise people to do in these kinds of cases?"

"To be quite honest with you, I haven't seen many of these kinds of cases. But what I can tell you is just to offer her your support and patience and understanding." 

"Patience and understanding," he repeated, mumbling the words. "In case you don't know it, Doc, those aren't two of my best qualities." 

Dr. Thomas almost smiled. "I think you'll be amazed how patient and understanding you can be when someone you really care about needs that from you." He patted him on the shoulder and walked away. 

"I hope you're right," Bosco said doubtfully. 

* * *

Proctor poured Faith a glass of water and held it as the other woman drank it. She'd always liked Officer Yokas. The poor woman had a very long road ahead of her. She watched as Faith winced in pain, though it was hard to tell what injury was causing her the most discomfort. There were just too many. 

"I'll talk to Dr. Thomas about getting you something for the pain," she promised, giving Faith a small, reassuring smile. 

Faith looked up at her. "Thanks," she answered, her voice still rough from being intubated. 

"Sure." Proctor set the glass down on the bedside table. 

"What happened to me?" 

She looked at the younger woman sympathetically. "You were in a car accident." 

Faith's eyes closed. "I don't remember that." 

"I know." Proctor checked her I.V. bag to make sure it didn't need to be changed right away. "Your husband will be back soon. He's been worried about you." 

"I'm married?" 

She hesitated, wondering if she should have let Bosco tell her that. "Yeah." She adjusted the I.V. wires. "I'll go talk to Dr. Thomas about getting you something for the pain." Without another word, Proctor left the room, leaving a bewildered Faith to stare after her. 

* * *

She was resting her eyes, trying to will away the enormous headache she had when she sensed him enter the room. She automatically opened her eyes and locked her gaze on his face. 

His hands were shoved into the pockets of his jeans as he lingered at the foot of her bed. "Hey. How you feeling?" he asked akwardly. 

"Confused," she admitted, her voice quiet. She didn't take her eyes off him. *Couldn't* take her eyes off him. He was a good looking guy--short brown hair, clean cut, nicely dressed and the most incredibly deep blue eyes she could have imagined. But he looked exhausted. 

"Yeah, I bet." He hesitated for a moment, then walked over to the chair beside the head of her bed. "Uh...is it okay if I sit here?" 

She nodded slowly, still gazing at him intently. 

"I ran into Proctor." When she frowned, he quickly realized his mistake. "She, uh...she's the nurse that just left." 

"Oh." 

"She said she'd be back with some painkillers for you soon." He gazed back at her, a worried expression on his face. 

"She said I was in a car accident." She saw him wince, then nod slowly. 

"Yeah...it was...it was pretty bad," he told her, looking away for a moment. 

"You were there?" 

"Afterward. I didn't realize it was you until the paramedics already had you out of the truck." His voice was pained, as though he were reliving that moment as they spoke. 

"I didn't mean to worry anyone," she said softly, unsure of how to comfort the man who sat beside her. 

He looked up and met her gaze again. "I know." He hesitated for a moment. "The doctor said that...you probably wouldn't wake up...that your injuries were too bad. But I knew better." He gave her a small smile. 

She tried to return the gesture, but she couldn't. She looked down at the blanket covering her. "I don't remember anything." 

"Yeah, Dr. Thomas said you have amnesia." 

"But it's only temporary, right?" she asked, feeling anxiety form a knot in her stomach. 

He opened his mouth to reply, but hesitated once more, looking down at the tile floor. "He doesn't know. He said he was going to run some more tests in the morning." 

"Great," she said tiredly, closing her eyes tightly as she felt tears form behind her eyelids. She held her breath, trying to stop the urge to cry as it rose in her throat. 

"Hey." 

She opened her eyes again and looked at him through her tears. 

He reached out and laced his fingers through hers, squeezing her hand gently. "You're alive, Faith. That's the only thing that matters," he said gently, gazing at her seriously. 

She dropped her gaze to their joined hands, her heart skipping a beat. She swallowed hard. "I'm sorry, I...don't know your name," she admitted, feeling suddenly shy for the first time since he'd walked into her room. 

"Bosco," he supplied quickly, shaking his head. "Sorry, I didn't think again." 

"Bosco," Faith repeated, the name sounding so foreign to her, though when she looked at him, she realized it suited him. 

"It's my nickname. Short for Boscorelli. Maurice Boscorelli. But no one ever calls me Maurice except Ma and Mikey...uh, my brother," he told her. 

"And my name's Faith?" 

"Yeah." 

Faith Boscorelli, she thought. At least their names sounded good together. She turned her gaze to him. "How long have we..." She bit her lip. 

"Oh. Almost nine years." 

"That's a long time," she murmured and he gave her another smile. She managed to smile back at her husband. 

For a long moment they just gazed at each other. 

Then another thought occurred to her. "Bosco?" 

"Yeah?" 

"Do we have any kids?" she asked softly. 

For a moment, he appeared to be frozen. "What?" 

"I just thought since we'd been married so long, maybe..." Her voice trailed off. "No kids?" 

He stared at her for a moment. "Uh...what makes you think that we're married?" he asked carefully.

Faith looked at him in confusion. "That nurse said we were." 

"Proctor told you I was your husband?" 

She frowned. "Well, no, but she said that my husband was worried about me and that he'd be back soon and you were here when I woke up, so I guess I just assumed that..." She bit her lip. "We're not married?" 

Bosco shook his head slowly. "No, we're not married." 

Embarrassed, Faith looked down at the blanket again. "I'm really sorry." 

"Hey, don't...it's fine, really." He squeezed her hand again. "If I was in your place, I probably would have thought the same thing," he said gently. 

She was still embarrassed at having jumped to conclusions, but his words made her feel a little better. "Thanks." 

"Sure." 

There was a moment of silence. 

"So if we're not married...how do we know each other?" she asked, not looking up. 

"We work together. We're friends." Bosco gazed at her. "Best friends," he added quietly. 

Faith finally turned her head to look at him. "We are?" she asked softly.

He swallowed hard, hesitated. "Well...you've always been mine." He gave her a small smile.

Despite the fact she didn't remember him, she was touched by his words and felt the need to reassure him, though she wasn't sure why. She was the one who squeezed his hand this time. "What do we do?" 

Bosco frowned slightly, a confused look on his face. "What do you mean?" 

"You said we work together." 

"Oh. Yeah. We're police officers. Partners." 

Her eyes widened and she stared at him. She wasn't sure what she'd been expecting him to say, she just knew *that* wasn't it. "Really? Police officers?" 

He nodded. "Yeah. Surprised?" 

"A little bit," she admitted, nodding. She closed her eyes as the slight motion caused the pounding in her skull to begin all over again. 

"Hey, you okay? Should I get a doctor?" Bosco asked, alarm in his voice as he sat forward in his chair. 

"No, it's just...my head hurts. That's all. That's probably normal, right?" 

He frowned deeply. "I don't know, but I don't want to take any chances. I'm going to go find Proctor or Dr. Thomas. I'll be right back, okay?" He squeezed her hand once before he let go. He stood up and quickly headed for the door. 

Faith shifted uncomfortably in the bed, closing her eyes again, trying to will away the pain coursing through her body. This time when she opened her eyes again, there was a tall man with a bald head standing a few feet away, gazing at her intensely. Alarmed, she struggled to sit up as she stared back at him. 

"Welcome back, Babe," he said, a forced smile on his face that didn't quite reach his eyes. 

Faith swallowed hard, feeling uncertain and nervous. "Who are you?" she whispered. 


	4. 4

Title: Between Time (4 /?)

Author: X_tremeroswellian

Email: X_tremeroswellian@yahoo.com

Disclaimer: They don't belong to me, but I wish they did.

Rating: PG-13 for language, violence and sexual content

Spoilers: Up through and including "233 Days"

Summary: A serious accident forces Faith and Bosco to re-evaluate their lives as well as their relationship with each other.

Distribution: My site, Only Time, http://www.geocities.com/angel_roswell/onlytime.html

Category: Story

Subcategories: drama/angst/romance/friendship

Feedback: Have you hugged your author today? *grin*

Author's Note: I'm aware there's a similar story being written about this idea, but I've already talked to the author of that story and she encouraged me to go ahead and write mine. I'm pretty sure we're going in different directions with the fics anyway. Any similarities are only coincidental of great minds thinking alike, not of plagarism. 

Author's Note: I have *no* medical knowledge whatsoever, so if any of the medical stuff is inaccurate, please don't flame me. 

Dedication: For Bree, Dem and CCA, who all encouraged me to write this months ago. 

Special thanks to CCA, who gave me the idea for the beginning part of this story. :) 

* * *

Between Time (Part Four) 

"Ha, ha. Very funny," the man replied, rolling his eyes as he took a step closer to her bed. 

Faith opened her mouth to speak, then closed it again, faltering for words as he stared at her, a blank expression on his face. She began to feel uncomfortable and anxious as he moved closer. 

The fingers of her uninjured hand curled involuntarily around the bed rail. She attempted to pull herself into a sitting position, but the movement sent unbearable pain jolting through her ribs and head. 

She couldn't help the cry that escaped her lips. 

"That was smart," the man said sarcastically. "You have broken bones." There was no hint of compassion in his eyes or on his face. 

Tears sprang to her eyes and she quickly squeezed them shut, reminding herself to breathe. She siliently prayed for Bosco to return with that doctor. 

Soon.

* * *

The first thing Bosco saw as he walked back into Faith's hospital room was Fred Yokas. The other man was standing a couple feet away from her bed, arms folded across his chest, a disgusted look on his face. 

Uh-oh, he thought. He opened his mouth to say something to Fred when he caught sight of Faith. Her face was contorted in pain. He quickly moved to her side. "Faith, what's wrong?" he asked, alarmed. 

"Bosco, it hurts," she choked out, her eyes flooded with tears. 

Fear shot through him and he ran to the doorway. "We need a doctor in here now!" he shouted. He waited until he saw one of the nurses heading toward the room before he returned to her side. He picked up her hand. "It's okay, Faith, just breathe. Help's on the way." 

She squeezed his hand tightly, trying not to cry out again. 

"Look at me, Faith," he urged, lightly squeezing her hand back. When she met his eyes, he held her gaze. "Breathe in through your nose, then exhale slowly," he instructed, his voice steady and soothing. 

"Well, isn't this sweet," Fred said, anger obvious in his tone. 

Bosco shot him a glared and started to respond when he felt Faith squeeze his hand once more. He returned his gaze to her face. 

"Who is he?" she whispered, still in pain, but her eyes begging for answers. 

"Why am I not surprised you're in on the stupid joke with her?" Fred demanded. 

"Why don't you shut your--" Bosco was cut off by a new voice. 

"What's going on in here?" Dr. Thomas asked as he walked into the room. 

"That's what I'd like to know," Fred muttered, shaking his head angrily. 

Bosco shot him another glare, then looked at the doctor. "She's in pain, a lot of it." 

Dr. Thomas walked over and Bosco stepped aside so he could examine Faith. "Faith, can you tell me what hurts?" 

"Everything," she answered weakly. "But mostly my head. And my ribs." She grimaced as another wave of pain threatened to overwhelm her. 

Dr. Thomas turned to look at Proctor, who stood in the doorway. "Okay, let's give her a 2 ml morphine drip." 

"Got it." Proctor left the room.

He turned his attention back to her. "This will probably make you sleep for several hours." 

She simply nodded, squeezing her eyes shut. 

Dr. Thomas looked at Bosco, then at Fred. "I need to speak with both of you outside, please." 

Bosco glared at Fred, then turned to leave the room.

"Wait." 

He looked back over at Faith. Her gaze was locked on him. He hesitated only a moment before walking over to her side. "What is it?" he asked, worried. 

She bit her lower lip nervously. "You'll come back right?" she whispered. 

He could see the fear in her eyes. He swallowed hard and nodded slowly. "I promise." He squeezed her hand gently. 

Just then, Proctor came back. "Okay, Faith, you're gonna be feeling better in no time." She injected the painkiller into Faith's I.V. bag, glancing at Bosco. 

He gave Faith a reassuring look, then let go of her hand, ignoring the very pissed-off expression on Fred's face as he followed Dr. Thomas into the hallway.

* * *

"You're saying she really doesn't remember anything?" Fred asked doubtfully.

"That seems to be the case at this point, yes," Dr. Thomas answered. 

"Then how come she remembers him?" he demanded, motioning angrily toward Bosco, who was leaning against the wall outside Faith's room, arms folded across his chest. 

"She doesn't," Bosco replied shortly. "I was there when she woke up. We talked, I told her who I was. She doesn't remember me, either." 

The two men looked at each other for a long, tense moment. 

Dr. Thomas cleared his throat. "You both need to know that at this point, Faith is still in serious condition. Her injuries are quite extensive and as you saw before, she's in a great deal of pain. We all need to work at making sure she remains as calm as possible." 

"She's gonna be okay, though, right?" Bosco asked, feeling tense the moment he heard the words 'serious condition' in the same sentence as his partner's name. 

"She's awake and her vitals are relatively normal, so those are positive signs. But with her injuries and the amnesia, she's in a very delicate state now." 

"Should we even be telling her about who we are and about her life?" Fred asked, shooting an accusatory glare in Bosco's direction. 

"There's no harm in it as long as she doesn't start to feel overwhelmed or upset by the information. Like I said, she needs to remain as calm and quiet as possible in order for her body to heal faster. I do want to run some more tests in the morning." 

"What kind of tests?" 

"Another CAT scan, for starters." 

"When can she come home?" Fred questioned. 

"I'd like to keep her here for at least 72 hours to monitor her condition. After that, we'll see how she's doing." He paused. "The morphine will probably make her sleep for the next few hours. I'd suggest that you both go home and get some rest." Dr. Thomas nodded to both of them, then turned and headed down the hallway. 

For a long moment, both men remained silent. 

"Well, this is wonderful," Fred said finally. "How the hell can I afford to pay a three day hospital bill?" 

Bosco set his jaw. "The NYPD has pretty good health insurance." 

"Won't cover all of it," he muttered. 

He bit back a sarcastic remark about Fred actually having to work for a change. 

"Now I have to go home and figure out a way to tell my kids that their mother doesn't even know they exist," he said bitterly, turning to walk down the hallway. 

"Don't you make this sound like it's her fault," Bosco warned, on the verge of losing what little patience he had left for the man. "You want someone to blame? Blame the jag-off who caused the accident in the first place!" 

Fred glared at him for a moment. Then he turned and left without another word. 

* * *

"Is it true?" 

Bosco looked up from where he sat in the hallway to see Sully standing there. "What?" he asked, though he was pretty sure he knew exactly what his colleague was talking about. 

"Yokas. She doesn't remember anything?" 

He shook his head slowly, lowering his gaze to the floor again. "Nope. Nothing." 

"Damn," Sully muttered. "Hard to believe." 

You're telling me, he thought. 

"You okay?" 

"She's alive. That's all I care about," he said honestly. 

Sully stared at him for a moment. "She sleeping?" 

Bosco nodded. "Doctor gave her some painkiller, said she'd probably be out for a few hours." 

"Why don't you go home for awhile?" 

"No." 

"You've been here since yesterday afternoon. You need to change and get something to eat, get a few hours of sleep." 

"I can't leave her here alone." 

"Bosco, have you checked out the waiting room lately? Half the department is out there. Hell, half of the 55th precinct FDNY is out there, too. She's not alone." 

"I want to be here when she wakes up." 

"You said yourself she'd be asleep for a few hours. So go and come back. You're not going to be of any help to Faith if you don't take care of yourself." 

Bosco looked up at him. Somehow he had the feelng that if she was awake and herself, Faith would tell him the same thing. 

"You know I'm right." 

He sighed and reluctantly stood up. "You'll call me if anything happens?" 

Sully nodded. "Of course." 

Bosco hesitated, then started to walk into Faith's room.

"Uh, Bosco? The exit's the other way," he said, nodding toward the waiting room down the hall, a small smile on his face. 

He looked at Sully, but didn't return the smile. "I need a minute." Then he took a deep breath and stepped inside. 

* * *

Bosco stared at her sleeping figure for a long moment before he moved closer to the bed. He closed his eyes and listened to the calm, reassuring sounds of her steady breathing. Then he touched her hand gently. "Faith," he whispered. "I'm gonna go home for a little while, okay? But I'll be back before you wake up." 

He swallowed hard, then leaned down and pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead. "Thanks for coming back to me." He squeezed his eyes shut again, but not before one tear escaped and dripped down his cheek. "I promise you, Faith, we're gonna get through this. I promise." He pressed another light kiss to her forehead, then headed for the door.

* * *

Go to Part 4

Back to X_tremeroswellian's Third Watch Fanfiction


	5. 5

Title: Between Time (5 /?)

Author: X_tremeroswellian

Email: faithboscorelli1@yahoo.com

Disclaimer: They don't belong to me, but I wish they did.

Rating: PG-13 for language, violence and sexual content

Spoilers: Up through and including "233 Days"

Summary: A serious accident forces Faith and Bosco to re-evaluate their lives as well as their relationship with each other.

Distribution: My site, Only Time.

Category: Story

Subcategories: drama/angst/romance/friendship

Feedback: Have you hugged your author today? *grin*

Author's Note: I'm aware there's a similar story being written about this idea, but I've already talked to the author of that story and she encouraged me to go ahead and write mine. I'm pretty sure we're going in different directions with the fics anyway. Any similarities are only coincidental of great minds thinking alike, not of plagarism. 

Author's Note: I have *no* medical knowledge whatsoever, so if any of the medical stuff is inaccurate, please don't flame me. 

* * *

Between Time (Part Five) 

It was dark and cold. 

She couldn't see anything, let alone where she going. She stumbled as she walked and she found herself on the ground, pain shooting through her entire body. It was sharp, intense pain that continued to radiate through her. 

She cried out for help but no one answered. She lay down on the ground, shivering uncontrollably. "Help me," she whispered weakly. 

"Easy. Take it easy," a soothing voice said softly.

She felt a hand on her cheek. The touch was gentle, calming. It was pulling her from the darkness. 

Her eyes fluttered open and immediately locked on a pair of beautiful blue eyes. She blinked a couple of times as he gazed back at her. 

"Hey," Bosco said softly, dropping his hand away from her face. "How you feelin'?" 

She shifted slightly in the bed, wincing at the movement. "Not so good," she murmured. 

"Yeah, I kinda figured. You were gettin' restless." 

Faith rested her uinjured arm over her ribs. "How long have you been here?" 

"A little while. An hour maybe. I went home and took a shower, changed clothes. Tried to take a nap, but I couldn't sleep." 

She was quiet for a moment as she stared at him, hoping that if she just looked at him long enough it would jog her memory, ignite some spark of recognition within her mind. But it didn't. She was gazing at a stranger. A stranger with very beautiful, kind eyes. 

Bosco shifted nervously under her intense gaze. Then he reminded himself that if he was nervous, she was probably scared out of her mind. After all, he knew who she was. But to her, he was just some guy claiming to be her best friend and work partner. It was an unsettling thought that she might very well be afraid of him. He tried to push all of those thoughts away. 

"So, uh...is there anything that I can get for you? Water or somethin'?" he offered. 

Faith hesitated. "Can I ask you a question?" 

"Yeah. Yeah, of course." 

"The man who was here before...when that doctor came in...who is he?" Her voice was soft.

Bosco swallowed hard. "His name is Fred. Fred Yokas." 

"Yokas?" she repeated, her eyebrows furrowing. "Isn't that my last name?" 

"Yeah," he confirmed quietly. 

She was silent for a moment. "So is he...my husband?" 

He gazed at her, his eyes cloudy with emotions. "Yeah," he said again. "He's your husband." 

Faith was quiet for a long time, flashes of the man's angry face running through her mind. Had he been angry? His eyes certainly hadn't been full of warmth the way the man's sitting by her bed were. And he wasn't there. "Are you sure?" she couldn't help but ask. 

Bosco nodded slowly, feeling as though he had just given her some bad news. "I'm sure," he said softly. He reached out and gently touched her hand. 

She looked down at his hand for a moment, then slid her fingers through his. "So where is he?" 

He cursed Fred inwardly for not sticking around. This was his -wife- dammit. She needed his support. Then again, knowing what he did of Faith's husband, she was probably better off without him around anyway. Fred wasn't known for his supportive, nurturing side when it came to Faith. "I think he probably just went home for awhile. I'm sure he'll be back later," he tried to assure her. 

She nodded wordlessly, gazing down at the white hospital blankets covering her. She couldn't help but wondering why the man at her bed side was there holding her hand instead of her husband. What did that mean? 

"So would you like some water or somethin' to drink? The nurse--Proctor--said you could have liquid but not food right now." He rubbed his thumb lightly over the back of her hand. 

"Yeah, I am kinda thirsty," she admitted softly.

He gave her hand a gentle squeeze and stood up. He picked up the plastic pitcher on her bedside table and poured a little water into the styrofoam cup. He opened the straw package and dropped the straw into the cup, then held it out to her. 

She winced slightly as she reached out to take it from him.

"You know, it might be better if I held it for you," he suggested, noticing her wince. He moved closer to her. 

Faith gazed at him for a moment. "Yeah, okay," she agreed.

Bosco gave her a smile as he moved the straw to her lips. She sipped the water slowly, letting her eyes drift shut. "Just let me know when you've had enough." 

After a moment, she pulled away, resting her head back against the pillows. "Thanks," she murmured. 

He set the cup down on the rolling bedside tray. "You're welcome." He lay his hand on top of hers once more, sitting back down in the chair next to her bed. "You goin' back to sleep?" 

"I'm still kinda tired," she said softly.

"It's okay. You need your rest." 

She opened her eyes and turned her head to gaze at him. "You don't have to stay here." 

Bosco met her eyes. "Do you want me to leave?" he asked quietly, though leaving was the last thing he wanted. Some part of him was deeply afraid that if he left--even for just a little while--she would disappear or something. 

She hesitated for a moment. "No," she whispered. 

He gave her a gentle smile. "I'm not goin' anywhere unless you want me to." 

She managed to give him a small smile in return. Then her eyes drifted shut once more. 

Bosco sat beside her, watching her sleep. Reassured by the fact that she was right there, breathing steadily on her own. Right now, that was all that mattered. 

* * *

"John, when you gonna come home?" Tatiana asked. 

Sully rubbed his forehead as he stood at a payphone in Mercy Hospital. "I don't know. Later." 

"I have not seen you in two days, John. I miss you." Her voice was soft.

Yeah, right, he thought, annoyed. "I'm not coming home til I know my friend is all right. I'll talk to you when I see you." He hung up the phone without giving her a chance to respond. When he turned around, he saw his partner standing there, a frown on his face. "Don't start with me, Davis." 

Davis held his hands up. "I didn't say a word." 

Sully moved past him. "I have a right to be angry." 

"Never said you didn't." 

"She's the one who's been lying." 

"No arguments there." 

"This isn't in any way my fault." 

Davis followed him to the waiting room but didn't respond. 

"It's not, Davis." 

"Okay." 

Sully glared at him. "You think this is my fault?" 

"You're puttin' words in my mouth, Sul." 

"But that's what you think, isn't it? That I'm blowin' this outta proportion." 

"You know what? Doesn't matter what I think. It's none of my business." 

"You're right, it's not. So just back off." Sully turned and stormed away. 

Davis watched him go, shaking his head. 

* * * 

"How's she doing?" 

Bosco looked up from the soda machine and turned to see Alex and Kim standing there. "She's alive. Doesn't remember anything. The doctors took her down to run more tests." 

"All that matters it that she's alive," Kim said quietly. "And she'll make it through this." 

He nodded and tapped the top of the pop can with his finger. "The doctor said she might not get her memory back." His voice was quiet. 

"They don't know that for sure, Bosco." Alex shook her head. "Amnesia is tricky. And rare. The truth is they don't know enough about it period." 

"Alex is right. Don't give up on her." 

"Oh, I won't." He turned and started to head toward Faith's room, wanting to be there when they brought her back. Then he paused and turned around to face them. "Thanks. For everything you did for her. If you hadn't gotten her here when you did..." His voice trailed off and he shook his head. "Thank you." 

Kim moved forward and gave his arm a squeeze. "Listen, if you need to talk...I'm here," she said softly.

He managed a brief smile, then he headed down the hallway without another word. 

* * * 

"It's just so weird," Carlos said as he sat at the table in the firehouse, shaking his head. 

"We should send flowers or somethin'," D.K. suggested. 

Doc nodded his agreement. "Yeah, that's a good idea." 

"How's Bosco holdin' up?" Jimmy asked quietly. 

"He's dealing," Alex answered as she gazed into her mug of coffee. 

"Can you imagine what that must be like?" Carlos' voice was soft. "To not remember anything about your life? To not remember that you're married or have two kids..." 

They all looked at him, but remained silent. 

"I mean, my life hasn't been all that great, but if I woke up one day and couldn't remember anything about it, or even who I was...I don't even wanna think about it." 

"It's gotta be terrifying," Alex said just as softly.

"Poor Faith," Kim murmured.

Everyone grew silent, lost in their own thoughts. Imagining the horror. And hoping that it didn't last. 

* * *

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